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Overheard at MUSC
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What?
 Dr. Charles Banov
receives his pin from Jason Wheeler.
Charleston physician and MUSC alumnus Charles H. Banov grew up in the
Lowcountry and was a Boy Scout. During a field trip to an oyster bed,
Banov responded to the urgent needs of his injured fellow scouts. He
was praised for his response and first aid knowledge. The district
presented him with a special troop award pin, which featured the
caduceus bearing the mark of a physician. Banov, a pre-teen at the
time, treasured his prize imagining a career in medicine. Not long
afterwards, Banov was asked to return the pin as it was only to be
awarded to licensed physicians.
Prized possession
About 70 years later, medical student Jason Wheeler read about Banov’s
story in his memoir, “Office Upstairs–A Doctor’s Journey.” Wheeler
learned that the physician’s pin was made from 1937 to 1968 and
considered rare. Wheeler helped raise donations from friends, MUSC
Gives Back director Liz Sheridan and the local Boy Scout Council. Next,
Wheeler led a team to search for the pin inquiring at collector shops,
dealers, online trading sites like eBay and Amazon and other resources;
but to no avail. Finally, after finding it, Wheeler formally presented
Banov with the Boy Scout physician’s pin. “I was honored to have met
him and able to restore his first medical award,” said Wheeler.
Friday, Oct. 29, 2010
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